Hello from the library. We would like to welcome the new 1Ls and welcome back our 2Ls and 3Ls. Click the image above to see a larger version.

Please view this presentation as a reminder of what is available to you in the library and whom to contact about research, jobs and general inquiries (Leigh Inman, Interim Director).

To help you along your path to success, this semester, we have new mini-classes for you. The schedule is shown below. Please sign-up for mini-classes on the Legal Research Training TWEN page. Click on the schedule below to see a larger version.

Please be aware of our new noise policy. The noise map will show you where you can expect to find quiet study space (Tip: It’s towards the rear of the library on the 5th floor). Click on the noise map below to see a larger version.

The law library’s guide, Exam Study Materials at TJSL lists books on exam taking, and lists study aids available in the library for various courses such as Civil Procedure, Professional Responsibility and Torts.

They are experts in legal research and are happy to help you and guide you. Students have already come in asking for help with finding the statutes they need to read for class, and for studying tips.

1. Ask the Reference Librarians . . . ANYTHING…um, but if you want to know where the bathrooms are in the library, you might want to consult the building map on the touchscreens.

Your full-time Reference Librarian, and several of the other librarians, have been to Law School, so they know what you are going through. If we can’t answer your question we will point to someone who can.

This is the first in a series of blog posts based on the Law Student Research Competency Principles as developed by the American Association of Law Libraries.

The first principle is:

“Principle I: A successful researcher should possess fundamental research skills.

Law students should have an understanding of the complexities of the legal system. They should know the processes and the hierarchical relationships between the three branches of government and the legislation, regulations, and case law they yield.” http://researchcompetency.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/26/

Although the above legal research principle only mentions three branches of government, it is slightly more complicated than that.

The three branches referred to are:

The judicial branch

The legislative branch

The executive branch

But there are actually more like 6 branches for any given U.S. state, since these branches exist for both Federal and State Law.

By analogy to state government and the legal documents generated by the state government, what would be called statutes, generated by the California State Assembly, are at the city level, known as Ordinances and are adopted by the City Council.

Similarly, at the state level, administrative law refers to state regulations that are generated by state agencies such as the CPUC. At the city level, it is the city agencies such as the City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency, that produces administrative law in the form of agency resolutions that are adopted by a particular agency.

The judicial branch at the city level is the City Attorney’s Office. The Mayor, the City Council, or any of the City Agencies or City Officials may ask the City Attorney’s Office a legal question either on a specific or more general issue, and the documents generated are analagous to the Case Law produced by State Courts.

It is important for attorneys to understand how government entities are related to each other and to the government information that they produce. Competent legal research goes beyond merely plugging in key words into database search boxes.

One fundamental research skill is the ability to think methodically about which government entity or entities creates the law that covers a particular issue, and to determine where to look to most cost effectively locate the relevant law. Sometimes, it will be freely available on the government website, and sometimes, it will be easy to quickly search the government website for that information.

At other times, it may be more cost effective to use the search tools available on a commercial database such as Westlaw or Lexis, but whether you need to find the right database first as you would with Classic Westlaw or Lexis, or search first and limit your results afterwards to the documents published by the right branch of government, having an awareness of the interrelation of government bodies and government information is essential to conducting legal research in a competent manner.

“As advisor, a lawyer provides a client with an informed understanding of the client’s legal rights and obligations and explains their practical implications” (Preamble: A Lawyer’s Responsibilities, Model Rules of Professional Conduct).

The primary task of a lawyer is to explain to clients how the law applies to their case.

After passing the Bar Exam, and becoming a lawyer, how will you know the practical implications “of the client’s legal rights and obligations” (MRPC)? You will have to research it. In order to be sure that you are correct in your assertions to the client, you need to be sure that you know all the law applicable to the situation. This could mean finding a statute and the relevant cases interpreting it, and then ensuring that the information is complete and up-to-date.

How will you know whether the research you have done is complete and up-to-date?

Research Strategy and Research logs

You need to have a research strategy and a research log so that you can tell what research you have done, and what you still need to do to be sure your research is complete and up to date. For billing purposes, you will want to log the time spent doing research, in addition to the cost of the legal research. For cases that take place over a long period of time, it helps to log the date of your research, so that you will know when enough time has passed that you may need to update your research.

Ways to Improve Research Skills

There are several ways to build your legal research skills. One way is to do an internship with a law firm, often partners will give you legal research tasks related to actual cases. It is a good idea to consult reference librarians to get help with your research.

At TJSL, the law librarians teach brief workshops and full length courses that you can take to improve your legal research skills. Look for advertisements for these brief classes at the Fourth Floor Circulation Desk, in the Advisor and on the touch screens.

June Mac Leod’s mini-classes

Hadas Livnat’s – Working Tour of Library Resources

Catherine Deane’s – General Tour of the Library

TJSL also offers an Advanced Legal Research course for two credits. It will be offered this Fall 2011, and the sections will be taught by Interim Director Patrick Meyer, and Reference Librarian Catherine Deane.

If you are unable to attend any of these classes, you can still brush up on your legal research skills by taking CALI Quizzes. These Quizzes vary in length, and cover a wide range of topics. Maybe pick a short one to start with, some are as brief as 20 minutes. Start to work this into your routine. For instance, when you are working on something challenging and you want to switch to something else while still being productive, do a short Quiz on a legal research topic and improve your skills. Alternatively, you could set aside one hour a week to take a quiz or two on a legal research topic.

Email Reference Librarian Catherine Deane to get the Student Registration Code to access the CALI Quizzes.

Which class will you work into your schedule to improve your legal research skills?

The Next Mini-Classes are offered on Tuesday July 19th at 10:30 am and cover: